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San Miguel County Man Pleads Guilty to Two-Day Crime Spree in two Counties and two Pueblos

ALBUQUERQUE – Daniel Lujan, 24, of Las Vegas, N.M., pleaded guilty today to a four-count superseding indictment, charging him with a bank robbery, the robbery of two convenience stores located in tribal communities, and the robbery of a business involved in interstate commerce occurring in two days in Aug. 2011. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Lujan will be sentenced to 144 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

Lujan was arrested on Aug. 11, 2011, on a criminal complaint charging him with robbing the Community 1st Bank located at 701 Legion Drive, in Las Vegas, N.M., on Aug. 1, 2011. In Dec. 2012, Lujan was charged in a four-count superseding indictment with committing the following four robberies: (1) the Community 1st Bank in San Miguel County, N.M., on Aug. 1, 2011; (2) the Santo Domingo Travel Center in Kewa Pueblo on Aug. 2, 2011; (3) the San Felipe Travel Center in San Felipe Pueblo on Aug. 2, 2011; and (4) the Giant Gas Station, a business engaged in interstate commerce, in Bernalillo, N.M., on Aug. 2011. The businesses robbed on Aug. 2, 2011, were located in Sandoval County, N.M.

During today’s hearing, Lujan entered a guilty plea to all four counts of the superseding indictment and admitted robbing the bank and the three businesses identified in the indictment. Lujan has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Santa Fe office of the FBI with assistance from the Las Vegas Police Department, the Southern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services, the Parole and Probation Division of the New Mexico Corrections Department, the New Mexico State Police, and the 4th and 13th Judicial District Attorneys’ Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis E. Valencia is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.